Edge Detection for Focus Assessment on Small Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face difficulties in determining whether captured images from digital cameras are in focus or blurred due to the small size and low resolution of monitor screens, making it hard to decide if they want to capture the same images again, especially when images are partially blurred or affected by camera shake.
Innovation Solution
An image display apparatus and method that includes edge detection analysis, displaying edges wider than a predetermined threshold width to make them visible, and enhancing edges narrower than a threshold width to improve visibility, allowing users to assess focus and blur on a monitor screen.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If images are displayed on a small monitor screen for checking, then the device portability and immediate feedback are improved, but the ability to determine focus accuracy and edge blur is deteriorated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the critical edge information from the full image and displays it separately on the monitor screen. By isolating and emphasizing edge portions through selective display, the system enables focus determination on a small screen without requiring the user to view the entire image, thus resolving the contradiction between small screen display and focus assessment accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality enhancement by displaying edge portions with different visual characteristics than the rest of the image. The edge areas are selectively emphasized to show focus status, while other parts of the image maintain normal display. This local differentiation allows accurate focus judgment on a small screen without compromising overall image viewing.
2Area of stationary object
If the entire image is displayed on a small monitor screen, then the user can view the complete composition, but the user cannot adequately assess focus and blur quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the image display into two distinct parts: the full image for composition viewing and the extracted edge portions for focus assessment. This segmentation allows the user to simultaneously access both the complete image context and the critical edge details needed for focus judgment, resolving the contradiction between viewing the entire image and assessing focus quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts edge portions from the full image and displays them separately with enhanced visibility. This extraction enables the user to assess focus and blur quality by examining the displayed edge portions, while the full image remains available for composition review, thus resolving the contradiction between complete image viewing and focus quality assessment.
3Device complexity
If edge portions are not visually distinguished, then the display remains simple and clean, but users cannot identify which parts of the image are blurred
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color or brightness changes to edge portions to visually distinguish them from the rest of the image. By modifying the visual appearance of edge areas, the system enables users to easily identify which parts of the image are blurred while maintaining relative display simplicity. This visual differentiation preserves blur location information without significantly increasing display complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An image display apparatus, that displays a digital image on a screen for check use, includes: an image data storage unit that stores image data of the digital image; an edge detection unit that detects an edge included in the digital image through analysis of the image data; and an image display unit that displays, when the edge being a detection result has a width wider than a predetermined first threshold width, the digital image in a state that the width of the edge is visible on the check screen.